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[Maklershed]

Anyway, taking a break from Parasite, was starting to bore me and started this up last night.


1632 by Eric Flint

An entire town in Virgina circa 2000 is transported through time and space to 1632 Germany during the 30 years war. It's just fun and kinda goofy, but I'm enjoying it. It's a little Stephen King, mixed with some Harry Turtledove for unintentional comedic relief and absurdity.

Sounds interesting. And more importantly its free for the Kindle. Sold! (or taken anyway)

 

[lastflowers]

It's been hit or miss. I won't lie, I find parts of it borderline incomprehensible. Others are so abstract I can't get a good impression of them. Sometimes it clicks together, leaving a hell of an image.



Quoting any more than that would just clutter up the thread, one that's not meant for in depth discussion of any one book, if I understand it correctly.

He mixes very archaic diction with either a blunt, choppy sentence or a sentence that acts like a waterfall. It's rhythmic. Many times his prose to be more like poetry than anything else.

When I first read BM and Suttree I kept sticky notes of words that I didn't recognize. Bad mistake, as I seemingly always had a pencil in my hand writing down a word and a page number. Some of the words I couldn't even find definitions for.

 

[xXBetter Off DadXx]

Started reading The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, only a few chapters in(but it's a brisk read) and I've got a feeling this is going to be a really memorable narrative.

 

[Switch Back 9]

He mixes very archaic diction with either a blunt, choppy sentence or a sentence that acts like a waterfall. It's rhythmic. Many times his prose to be more like poetry than anything else.

When I first read BM and Suttree I kept sticky notes of words that I didn't recognize. Bad mistake, as I seemingly always had a pencil in my hand writing down a word and a page number. Some of the words I couldn't even find definitions for.

His descriptions of landscapes are just incredible. This is one of the only books where getting high first actually helped me get into the rhythm. It's also the most crazy, over the top violent book I've ever read. Ever character is just a total piece of shit and I love that.

Anyhoo, I'm reading this

While it's definitely scratching my comfort reading itch, I don't understand the parallels drawn between this and ASOIAF. This series is nowhere near as complex, with nowhere near the amount of characters and sub-plots. The series is all right, but really nothing special. Although I must say I'm starting to enjoy Clara's chapters a lot more, I found myself just skimming them over in the first two books.
I would also like some fan-art or something of the 13 races, it's getting hard to picture them.

 

[Ventilaator]

Halfway through The Road and I'm totally loving the style of writing here. I feel like if the story was really lighthearted and happy I would still expect everybody to suddenly die by the end, because the way this is written is just...ominous.

 

[lastflowers]

Halfway through The Road and I'm totally loving the style of writing here. I feel like if the story was really lighthearted and happy I would still expect everybody to suddenly die by the end, because the way this is written is just...ominous.

Have you gotten to the basement scene? I still sometimes shiver when I think of it.

 

[Celegus]

Has anyone else read The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Neil Gaiman)? I really loved it, probably my favorite of his books. I know it was short, but it's been a while since I blasted through a book that quickly. That man sure can write like a 7 year old thinks, really made the book that much more engaging.

 

[Ventilaator]

Have you gotten to the basement scene? I still sometimes shiver when I think of it.

Yeah. I knew this was gonna be dark, but jeez.

 

[WEGGLES]

And

Nearly done with The Colour of Magic. No where even close to done with ADWD...

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Sounds interesting. And more importantly its free for the Kindle. Sold! (or taken anyway)

Oh wow, didn't even realize it was free. Well there's 50 cents wasted on a paperback lol

 

[thomaser]

I am still struggling to finish Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon, I´m about 900 pages in, it´s sometimes really good and at other times just absolutely confusing with it´s plethora of characters, especially when Pynchon suddenly refers to something obscure that happened like 500 pages ago with a minor character who is now the protagonist of the chapter. This book is just WTF in it´s purest form. It´s a good read, but a difficult one. Also, it´s my first Pynchon, because someone told me it would be the best one to start with, being the most accessible. I was probably trolled.

Yes, you were. I found it to be his hardest book. Spent five months or so on it a couple of years ago (but to be fair to myself, things got in the way).

 

[jacobs34]

Wow. I had a pretty good idea that I would enjoy this book just by going off some recommendations from people I trust. I couldn't put this book down. The mix of completely banal Americana and absurdity mix to create a powerful reading experience. Having the whole novel take place inside Texas stadium and using the Bravo's progress from the bottom of the stadium to the owners box as a metaphor for power in American society was great. There is some really interesting stuff going on in this book, and it is so incredibly easy to read. One of the best books I've read that's been written in the past couple of years.

Just started this. It's been on a lot of best of (so far) lists, but I'm having a hard time getting into it. I'm going to try to get to 100 pages or so tonight, we'll see.

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

Reading A Song of Ice and Fire books even though 90% has been spoiled for me by internet assholes. I would say the level of detail compared to the TV shows makes it still worth it.

 

[Maklershed]

Reading A Song of Ice and Fire books even though 90% has been spoiled for me by internet assholes. I would say the level of detail compared to the TV shows makes it still worth it.

Those are the people* that are forcing me to play through The Last of Us at a much faster pace than I'd like just so I can get to the end before its ruined on me.

*podcasters get a huge share of the blame as well

 

[Fireblend]

Has anyone else read The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Neil Gaiman)? I really loved it, probably my favorite of his books. I know it was short, but it's been a while since I blasted through a book that quickly. That man sure can write like a 7 year old thinks, really made the book that much more engaging.

I did. I thought it was pretty good, everything I expect from Gaiman, but was a little disappointed about the length. The character and world-building definitely had more potential than those 180 pages allowed for. I wouldn't call it my favorite book of his, nor would I recommend it as an introduction to his work, but it was really well done and had some nice memorable scenes and quotes and the kind of twisted magic I love reading from him.

 

[lastflowers]

Yes, you were. I found it to be his hardest book. Spent five months or so on it a couple of years ago (but to be fair to myself, things got in the way).

I might start it after Reamde and GoT:Feast for Crows

 

[Jag]

Wow. I had a pretty good idea that I would enjoy this book just by going off some recommendations from people I trust. I couldn't put this book down. The mix of completely banal Americana and absurdity mix to create a powerful reading experience. Having the whole novel take place inside Texas stadium and using the Bravo's progress from the bottom of the stadium to the owners box as a metaphor for power in American society was great. There is some really interesting stuff going on in this book, and it is so incredibly easy to read. One of the best books I've read that's been written in the past couple of years.

Halfway through it now and really enjoying it. Thanks whoever first recommended it!

 

[Blitzzz]

Reading A Song of Ice and Fire books even though 90% has been spoiled for me by internet assholes. I would say the level of detail compared to the TV shows makes it still worth it.

judging by all the shock from the tv airings, it seems like the readers didn't spoil much to the internet

 

[BurakkuEmparaa]

Yes, you were. I found it to be his hardest book. Spent five months or so on it a couple of years ago (but to be fair to myself, things got in the way).

Aw goddamn, I should have known that when I saw the number of pages of that monster. The German version has nearly 1600. I´m just really happy that I didn´t get the English one, as I always do with other books (at least if that´s the original language it´s written in).

It took me about... 3 months I guess to get this far? Did you like it by the time you finished it? For me it´s a mixed bag, there are interesting characters with captivating story arcs, but there are quite some I just can´t get myself to care about, even if I remember who they are and what they were doing before. What I always like are the incredibly hilarious names of the characters... Pynchon must have a whole lot of fun making them up.
Seing as you have read other books by him, could you maybe recommend what is actually his most accessible book, so I could ease myself into his style a bit?

 

[Sleepy]

Just started this. It's been on a lot of best of (so far) lists, but I'm having a hard time getting into it. I'm going to try to get to 100 pages or so tonight, we'll see.

I want to read this. Post impressions of the first 100 if you get the chance.


Also, just hit page 600 in Against the Day. Holy shit--it's great, but 484 more pages, man! I sympathize, Burakku. You were trolled, as I think Inherent Vice is his most accessible. At times, I am finding this more difficult than Gravity's Rainbow. I am also sporadically reading Terry Eagleton's The Event of Literature--it's good, too.

Taipei is up next, then The Luzhin Defense, then After the Quake, then...the above book, I think.

I don't like having my reading mapped out like this, but I have to get through some of my backlog.

 

[phaze]

Also reading:



Bit of George Marshall hagiography in the beginning and it feels like it's skimming over WW2 more than I'd like, we'll see how it goes. My father-in-law served under some of the folks in the Korean and Vietnam theatres so should be interesting to discuss down the road. Also fun seeing guys like Westmoreland show up in WW2 as junior officers.

I was thinking of buying this book but what I read in reviews and the premise of Marshall as an ideal to imitate scared me off. Can you tell me what he says about Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton, Clark ? Good/Bad ? Also how many pages does he devote to the Korean War ?

Cheers and thanks.

 

[suzu]

Anyhoo, I'm reading this


While it's definitely scratching my comfort reading itch, I don't understand the parallels drawn between this and ASOIAF. This series is nowhere near as complex, with nowhere near the amount of characters and sub-plots. The series is all right, but really nothing special. Although I must say I'm starting to enjoy Clara's chapters a lot more, I found myself just skimming them over in the first two books.
I would also like some fan-art or something of the 13 races, it's getting hard to picture them.

Right? I can't even remember what half of them even look like anymore. lol

Although I just found this, which I can check when I forget. Too bad there aren't any pictures.

 

[BurakkuEmparaa]

Also, just hit page 600 in Against the Day. Holy shit--it's great, but 484 more pages, man! I sympathize, Burakku. You were trolled, as I think Inherent Vice is his most accessible. At times, I am finding this more difficult than Gravity's Rainbow.

Wow, so the German version actually has over 500 pages more? That´s... disturbing. It really is a complicated language it seems. The guys who translated it even got some kind of prize if I recall correctly, it must have been a huge feat.

Well then, I´m gonna try and finish it and then move on to Inherent Vice. Thank you for the recommendation. That´s the one being made into a film by Paul Thomas Anderson, so that will fit nicely with my hype for a new feature by him. And it´s probably better to read the book before watching the movie anyway.

 

[Memento Mori]

About 800 pages into It which is book ten on an extended Dark Tower reading list I found. This is probably in my top three of favourite King books already.

 

[thomaser]

Aw goddamn, I should have known that when I saw the number of pages of that monster. The German version has nearly 1600. I´m just really happy that I didn´t get the English one, as I always do with other books (at least if that´s the original language it´s written in).

It took me about... 3 months I guess to get this far? Did you like it by the time you finished it? For me it´s a mixed bag, there are interesting characters with captivating story arcs, but there are quite some I just can´t get myself to care about, even if I remember who they are and what they were doing before. What I always like are the incredibly hilarious names of the characters... Pynchon must have a whole lot of fun making them up.
Seing as you have read other books by him, could you maybe recommend what is actually his most accessible book, so I could ease myself into his style a bit?

Well, I really liked the book. I love how Pynchon has no limits on anything he writes. No compromises. Everything goes. This does lead to an almost incomprehensible complexity and way too many characters to keep track of. I don't understand all of it, but don't really aspire to either... I know my limits, unlike Pynchon. I just go with the flow, and Pynchon's flow is so unpredictable and fascinating that it doesn't matter if it's incomprehensible. Some parts are drawn-out and boring, though, but they always lead somewhere amazing.

Agree with you on the names! That's exactly what I mean with "no limits". Everybody gets silly names, because why the hell not Or they break into silly songs, or maybe he forgets about the humans for a second and makes a dog talk instead, or he gives personality to

Spoiler

a ball of lightning

. Just because.

As for his most accessible book of his I've read, that's easy. It is The Crying of Lot 49, which is also by far the shortest. It's not "easy" by any means, but simply less of a handful than the others. I haven't read his latest, though, Inherent Vice, which is supposed to be fairly accessible. Edit: Yeah, what Sleepy said. Inherent Vice is in my bookshelf, but I'll wait with it until next year.

 

[Sleepy]

Actually, there is a method to his madness of character names...Hurley wrote a dictionary of Pynchon's character names, which is sort of instructive.

Pynchon's books ranked easy/accessible to difficult:

1. Inherent Vice (Don't read the spoiler if you haven't read the book

Spoiler

besides the very brief parallel universe, "lost day" stuff

)
2. The Crying of Lot 49
3. Slow Learner (short stories, some more difficult than others; e.g. Entropy)
4. Vineland
5. V.
6. Against the Day
7. Gravity's Rainbow (I have read this book three times and it really doesn't get easier, just less frustrating)

(I have not read Mason & Dixon yet, but from what I have heard it may fall between V. and Against the Day; or between Vineland and V. --I have heard conflicting reports.)

You will not find a better author, in my opinion; while others consider him a charlatan. YMMV.

 

[thomaser]

Actually, there is a method to his madness of character names...Hurley wrote a dictionary of Pynchon's character names, which is sort of instructive.
[...]
(I have not read Mason & Dixon yet, but from what I have heard it may fall between V. and Against the Day; or between Vineland and V. --I have heard conflicting reports.)

Ok, I have to get my hands on that dictionary. Thanks for mentioning it!

Mason & Dixon might be my favourite Pynchon-book. I'd rank it below AtD and GR in difficulty, but above the others. It's written in an old-fashioned English that takes quite a while to get used to. After the first 1-200 pages, though, it gets much easier to read, even if it's still difficult to follow in typical Pynchon-style. M&D has Pynchon's most outrageous character, by the way. No other respected author would ever put a character like that into a serious novel, that's for sure!

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

judging by all the shock from the tv airings, it seems like the readers didn't spoil much to the internet

Well... I got pretty much everything spoiled. Sucks I guess, but at least there's two books left.

 

[Rapscallion]

Just bought "The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History by John Ortved" for really cheap. Might suck, who knows!

 

[Sleepy]

Ok, I have to get my hands on that dictionary. Thanks for mentioning it!

M&D has Pynchon's most outrageous character, by the way. No other respected author would ever put a character like that into a serious novel, that's for sure!

No worries...it is rather expensive, though ($40). And thanks for the M&D comment.

 

[Nappuccino]

So . . . Dan Brown's Angels and Demons is infuriating to read, but I can't stop reading it.

 

[TheKaeptain]

So . . . Dan Brown's Angels and Demons is infuriating to read, but I can't stop reading it.

Welcome to Dan Brown.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Halfway through The Road and I'm totally loving the style of writing here. I feel like if the story was really lighthearted and happy I would still expect everybody to suddenly die by the end, because the way this is written is just...ominous.

I loved The Road. I loved how his prose was able to evoke the starkness of his post-apocalyptic world. Not only a great read but a book that you could study on how to use language/style to enhance the setting.

 

[Rug Monkey]

Seing as you have read other books by him, could you maybe recommend what is actually his most accessible book, so I could ease myself into his style a bit?

For me his most enjoyable and accessible is V although The Crying of Lot 49 is very similar and a LOT slimmer

 

[Empty]

really funny. i wasn't expecting comic misadventure from nabokov, though of course it's rather touching too. do feel like i'm missing a ton of literary allusions and depth though.

 

[kittens]

It's really really good so far. Highly recommended.

 

[Nappuccino]

Welcome to Dan Brown.

For my own sanity, I don't think I'll be able to read another book of his. But dammit, I want to know what happens.

Also, I have gained much appreciation for Dean Koontz while reading this. I read a ton of his books back in highschool, but I kinda wrote him off as being "just a thriller writer". Someone who wasn't a good writer but just got some decent ideas on paper.

But his execution of those ideas is so much better than this it's kinda unbelievable. Probably because his characters (mostly) act like people and don't constantly ask the stupidest questions all the time.

 

[Krowley]

It's been hit or miss. I won't lie, I find parts of it borderline incomprehensible. Others are so abstract I can't get a good impression of them. Sometimes it clicks together, leaving a hell of an image.


.

Having read a few of his other books, I felt like Blood Meridian was especially inconsistent. The style is constantly varying between his more difficult poetic writing, and his short clipped writing, and I felt like he went overboard with the poetic stuff. It damn near put me to sleep at times. It's very beautiful, and full of meaning, but it gets tiresome after a few consecutive pages.

I feel like The Road is a much better introduction to his writing, and a better book overall.

Rereads of Blood Meridian may change my tune since it's the kind of book that lends itself to rereading, just to get all the stuff you missed the first time through. The Road is much more straightforward (not a bad thing), and IMO, just as powerful.

Also, The Road has actual "good guys" and it always helps to have people you can root for in a book. Obviously that's not what Blood Meridian was going for, and that's fine, but there are advantages to having sympathetic characters.

 

[Mifune]

Inherent Vice is probably Pynchon's most accessible but to me what makes the man great is how byzantine and difficult to follow his books are. I enjoyed IV quite a bit but it didn't strike me as "true" Pynchon.

So for that reason I would recommend The Crying of Lot 49. It's extremely short and equally dense. It's a discrete shot of 100 proof Pynchon as opposed to the all-night bender that is Gravity's Rainbow. If any of that makes any sense.

 

[Gordon0Freeman]

Finally finished Wool and I really enjoyed it. Now, one of my family members has a few books from the Culture series and is willing to let me borrow them. However, she only has some of the more recent releases like the Hydrogen Sonata, Surface Detail, Matter, Look Winward. Dont know why. Would it be wise to start with any of these or should I just start with Consider Phlebas and work my way up? Been really wanting to read some mind boggling scifi for awhile but just been pretty lazy with my reading

 

[KidDork]

Still reading The Dogs of Riga. I kind of knew what to expect of Wallander from the Branaugh series, but wow, the tone of defeat and fatigue is strong in this book.The world weary detective is a well worn trope in crime fiction, but somehow Wallander still sells it, still makes me want to spend more time with the character.

 

[survivor]

Finished reading Kokoro today. I was a bit worried that Sensei was overselling his backstory, but after reading more I was thoroughly moved by his anguish. Great novel.

Since The Scar still isn't here, I picked up The Phantom Tollbooth. For a children story I heard a lot of praise so I wanted to check it out. Only problem is I got the annotated edition (I thought maybe the story would be 2deep4me) and it's really big to carry so I won't be able to read it on the bus.

 

[Switch Back 9]

Finished reading Kokoro today. I was a bit worried that Sensei was overselling his backstory, but after reading more I was thoroughly moved by his anguish. Great novel.

Since The Scar still isn't here, I picked up The Phantom Tollbooth. For a children story I heard a lot of praise so I wanted to check it out. Only problem is I got the annotated edition (I thought maybe the story would be 2deep4me) and it's really big to carry so I won't be able to read it on the bus.

The dumb kids in my gr6 class got to read that, our group read something else (A Wrinkle in Time perhaps?)
That book looked way more fun and interesting, perhaps I'll pick it up someday! Let us know how you like dude.

 

[TheKaeptain]

For my own sanity, I don't think I'll be able to read another book of his. But dammit, I want to know what happens.

Also, I have gained much appreciation for Dean Koontz while reading this. I read a ton of his books back in highschool, but I kinda wrote him off as being "just a thriller writer". Someone who wasn't a good writer but just got some decent ideas on paper.

But his execution of those ideas is so much better than this it's kinda unbelievable. Probably because his characters (mostly) act like people and don't constantly ask the stupidest questions all the time.

He gets better but none of his work is great. Just middle of the road stuff to read for entertainment.

 

[lastflowers]

Having read a few of his other books, I felt like Blood Meridian was especially inconsistent. The style is constantly varying between his more difficult poetic writing, and his short clipped writing, and I felt like he went overboard with the poetic stuff. It damn near put me to sleep at times. It's very beautiful, and full of meaning, but it gets tiresome after a few consecutive pages.

I feel like The Road is a much better introduction to his writing, and a better book overall.

Rereads of Blood Meridian may change my tune since it's the kind of book that lends itself to rereading, just to get all the stuff you missed the first time through. The Road is much more straightforward (not a bad thing), and IMO, just as powerful.

Also, The Road has actual "good guys" and it always helps to have people you can root for in a book. Obviously that's not what Blood Meridian was going for, and that's fine, but there are advantages to having sympathetic characters.

what did you think about The Crossing? That's my favorite of his

 

[i-Lo]

Ender's Game.

 

[Krowley]

what did you think about The Crossing? That's my favorite of his

Haven't read that one or any of the other Border Trilogy books yet.

The books I've read are Blood Meridian, The Road, No Country for old Men, and Child of God.

My favorite is The Road, and my second favorite is Child of God, which feels more like a supremely fucked up horror story than anything else.

No Country for Old Men is my least favorite. It's still pretty great, and has plenty of powerful moments, but is definitely missing something. Blood Meridian tops it by a pretty good margin.

 

[lastflowers]

Haven't read that one or any of the other Border Trilogy books yet.

The books I've read are Blood Meridian, The Road, No Country for old Men, and Child of God.

My favorite is The Road, and Child of God, which feels more like a supremely fucked up horror story than anything else, is my second favorite.

No Country for Old Men is my least favorite. It's still pretty great, and has plenty of powerful moments, but is definitely missing something. Blood Meridian tops it by a pretty good margin.

You might like Outer Dark. It's similar to Child Of God in that it's based in Appalachian Mtns, and it retains that archaic imagery found within Blood Meridian. It's not over-abundant with it, however. The plot is twisted like CoG, but isn't nearly as simplistic as CoG. Lots of fun with Outer Dark, and it's a quick one.

NCFOM is definitely my least favorite of McCarthy's work, besides maybe Cities of the Plain.

 

[Krowley]

You might like Outer Dark. It's similar to Child Of God in that it's based in Appalachian Mtns, and it retains that archaic imagery found within Blood Meridian. It's not over-abundant with it, however. The plot is twisted like CoG, but isn't nearly as simplistic as CoG. Lots of fun with Outer Dark, and it's a quick one.

NCFOM is definitely my least favorite of McCarthy's work, besides maybe Cities of the Plain.

Yeah, I was kind of thinking I might try Outer Dark next, then probably tackle the border trilogy books.

 

[Dresden]

NCFOM is definitely my least favorite of McCarthy's work, besides maybe Cities of the Plain.

I feel like Cities is worse, but there's that stretch in the novel where John Grady is building a house and it's so goddamn beautiful that it feels like a waste being in that book.